My Buddy Brandon
by c0ntxgious
Summary: Elliot reunites with an old friend. But Olivia finds that Elliot's friend isn't quite as nice to her as he is to Elliot, and he may even be dangerous. How is she supposed to tell Elliot when he's becoming even better friends with the guy? R&R, summary sux
1. Chapter 1

11:56. It was almost time for their lunchtime. Finally, they could get off of work for an hour or so. Elliot needed Olivia to meet someone with him, someone important. He glanced at Olivia quickly and then waited a few more minutes before standing up and approaching her.

"Hey, Liv, do you want to come to lunch with me today? There's somebody I want you to meet. He's a friend of mine, his name is Brandon."

Olivia looked up from her desk at Elliot and smiled warmly. "Sure, that's great." Olivia wasn't sure why Elliot wanted her to meet his friend, but she went ahead anyway. She had wanted to have lunch with Elliot, and if this was what it entailed, then she would simply put up with it. As she followed him out to his car, she wondered why he wanted her to meet his friend. She contemplated asking but decided against it.

In the car, Olivia wondered what his friend was like. After asking Elliot why he'd wanted her to meet Brandon, she started asking general questions about him, not sure what was going on.

"So, what does he do for a living?" she asked.

"He's a writer for websites. He writes the basic explanations of the sites that go on the home page and things like that. For some sites, he does all of the writing," Elliot explained.

Olivia nodded. "That's cool. Not as cool as us, but pretty cool," she said, grinning.

He looked over at her and smiled.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Elliot seemed to immediately spot his friend because he started towards the back of the restaurant. Olivia followed him, approaching a man who looked like somebody in a teeth whitener commercial. He was wearing a red Ralph Lauren shirt with a collar and some khaki pants and perfect white tennishoes. His hair was brown, as well as his eyes, and he was almost as tan as Olivia. He was great looking, but...he was just so...perfect.

"Hi, I'm Olivia," she said, shaking his hand.

"I'm Brandon," he said. Then he looked to Elliot. "You didn't tell me that she was this beautiful, man."

Elliot laughed. "Yeah, well, she's mine," he said jokingly.

Olivia smiled and sat down beside Elliot and across from Brandon.

"So how did you and Elliot know each other?" Olivia asked.

Brandon looked at his napkin. "Well, Elliot and I were friends back in high school, but we kind of lost touch. Then we began to email a little bit, and when my mom died, we sort of began to talk a lot again. But see, I'm just now coming back to New York. I was living way down in Texas for a while with my brother, but I moved back up here and I met up with Elliot a couple weeks ago," he explained.

Olivia nodded and smiled.

About halfway into the meal, Elliot left the table and went to the bathroom. Brandon put down his silverware and looked at Olivia.

"So, eh, what do you say we go on a date tomorrow? Get something for dinner?" he asked.

Olivia looked up from her food and tried to swallow a piece of meat that suddenly seemed twice the size of her throat.

"Uh..I'm busy tomorrow," she said. "But thanks."

He shook his head. "All right. What about day after tomorrow?"

She looked into his eyes and tried to come up with an excuse. She wasn't sure why, but she already wasn't liking being alone with him, and Elliot had been gone all of five seconds. She felt uncomfortable, and she didn't want to be around him alone. Maybe it was his eyes. They looked cold and mean. They were such a dark brown that they looked black almost, and empty.

"I'm always busy, because of the job and everything," she said. "Unlike Elliot, I always get my paperwork done," she chuckled, trying to shake off the burn of her rejection with a joke.

Brandon didn't laugh. "Come on. Tomorrow night. You and me, we'll go to...to the movies," he said. "And then out to eat. What do you say? It'd be fun."

Olivia wasn't smiling anymore. "I'm busy."

"Nah, not to busy for me. You can't be serious. You're forty-seven and you're single. Why the hell wouldn't you date me?" he interrogated.

Olivia did _not_ like where this was going. She wasn't trying to be polite anymore. "_No,_" she spat angrily.

"Why not? I bet Elliot would be disappointed if he knew that you were rejecting me. I bet he wouldn't be too happy with you. I bet he would want you to date me. He just wants to make you happy. I can make you happy, Olivia," he said, leaning in.

His breath reached her nostrils and she thought she'd get sick. She thought he sounded disgusting. He was all breathy and the way he was making her rejection all about Elliot made her extremely suspicious of him. He'd sounded like one of the perpetrators she put behind bars every day when he'd said, _"I can make you happy, Olivia." _She didn't like the way he said her name.

Then Elliot reappeared at the table. He looked from Olivia's face to Brandon's, confused. Brandon looked happy, like he always did, but Olivia looked like she was filled with tension and she looked upset.

"Liv?" Elliot asked.

Olivia looked up. "Yes, Elliot?"

"Are you all right? You kind of look like you've got a headache...do you need some Tylenol?" he asked.

Brandon laughed loudly. They both looked at him, Olivia's expression one of anger and Elliot's expression one of confusion.

"I'm fine, Elliot. I think we need to leave, though. I'm really full and something about this...this...environment...is making me a little sick," she said.

Elliot stared at her. "What? The _environment_?" he questioned. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Olivia looked at him. "The...the lighting. I think it's maybe the lighting in here. It's really dim, and I think that maybe the lighting mixed with this Cajun food is really making me sick at my stomach. I really just want to leave."

He looked at Brandon again, not understanding. "Well, can you maybe hold out just about ten more minutes? We have to leave in ten minutes anyway, and I really wanted you to get to know some more about Brandon. We're really good friends, you know. I just wanted you to get to know him, because now that he's in New York, we'll be hanging out a lot," he said.

Olivia shook her head. Great. Could this get any worse? "I already know him," she said, glaring at him. She knew he hadn't said too much, but he'd said enough to make her suspicious of him. Just the way he immediately changed when Elliot was around was enough to tell Olivia that he wasn't somebody she wanted to be around.

Elliot didn't say anything.

"All right. Well, you stay here with Brandon and finish lunch, I'll be at the precinct," she said, turning around to leave.

"I...I'll go with you. I don't want you driving if you're sick," he said. "Brandon, I'm so sorry we've got to leave early. Maybe we'll all three meet up again."

Then they both left the restaurant and climbed in the car. Elliot glared at Olivia.

"What the hell was that about? You don't get sick because of _'environments'_, Olivia," he barked.

Olivia shook her head. "I know I don't! There was something weird with Brandon," she said.

Elliot squinted. "What?"

"There was something weird going on with him. He was...messed up. I don't like him. I don't want to be around him. I think he's got some sort of problem, or he's got it in for me..." Olivia explained.

He glared at her again. "I think _you've_ got some sort of problem. What are you, Schizophrenic? He doesn't have it in for you, Olivia. Why would you say that?"

Olivia was surprised at how he'd snapped at her, saying that she was the one with problems and being so rude. Now she felt stupid and she didn't want to tell him why she thought he was strange.

"Nevermind," she said, shaking her head and looking out the window. "And don't talk to me like that," she spat, looking back at him and then out the window again.

Elliot was silent for a minute. "I...I'm sorry, Liv. I didn't mean to sound like that. I'm just saying that I think you're being hard on Brandon. What'd he do?"

Olivia looked at him for a minute, deciding on what to say. She finally answered, "He...asked me to go on a date with him," she said.

Elliot furrowed his eyebrows in confusion for a second, and then he laughed. "Come on, Olivia. You've got to be kidding me. Why would you freak out if he asked you on a date?"

She stared at him with wide eyes, upset that he didn't understand.

Then he laughed again because she was so serious.

"I said no, but he kept asking me," she said.

"Then he probably really likes you, Liv. That's not a big deal. You should really calm down," he said, chuckling. Then he got serious again. "And you should think next time you ruin a lunch date," he added.

Olivia was upset that he didn't get it. He didn't know what she meant, but how could she explain it? She could probably tell him exactly what Brandon had said to her, but he still might not believe her and she could tell that he was getting angry again. So she decided she just would drop it and would say anything else. But Brandon had really creeped her out, with his too-good-to-be-true white smile and Ralph Lauren clothes. But what could she do about it?


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! 20 on the 1st chapter? That's amazing! Sorry for the slow update. I don't mean to get all personal or anything but I just made the JV cheerleading squad for my sophomore year so I've been really busy! It was super exciting to make it though!**

** SVUandBonesAddict: Hey! Thanks for the review! I had to tell you that my idea was very much like your first instinct. It was slightly different; I was going to go more with a friendly path rather than Brandon being gay. But now that I think about it, I have characterized him that way afterall! You mind if I totally steal your idea? Thanks! Review again & tell me! (: **

** Anyway! Sorry for the long AN! Hope y'all like this chapter!**

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><p>"So, Brandon wants us to all meet up again, Liv. Can you please come with us?" Elliot pleaded.<p>

Olivia shook her head. "I don't want to, Elliot."

"Please just come for me. Brandon and I are really good friends, Liv. It's seriously important to me that the two of you get along," he said.

How was Olivia supposed to say no to him when he put it like that? "I...I guess so, Elliot. But seriously, if I'm feeling as uncomfortable as I felt last time I was around him, then I'm leaving, and that's that. Understand?"

Elliot nodded, happy that she would at least go. "Okay. Thank you for coming. I really just think you'll like Brandon a lot if you give him another chance. When Kathy left me, he was there for me just like you were. He's a really great friend, Olivia."

Olivia was sure she'd get sick if he kept going on like this. _'Really great friend' my ass_, she thought.

"Yeah. Okay. Let's go," she said.

Work was over, and they'd both already eaten, so Olivia was guessing that they were going to the movies or something. She hoped they were going to the movies, because then Brandon wouldn't really get a chance to talk to her if they were just watching a movie.

They went and got in Elliot's car, and Elliot drove.

"So where are we going?" Olivia asked.

"Ice cream, then Washington Square Park, walking and talking," Elliot said.

Olivia's heart dropped. "Uhm...why don't we just go to the movies or something?"

Elliot looked at her. "Because then we wouldn't get to talk and you wouldn't get to know Brandon better," he replied.

_Shit. Don't be stupid, Olivia. Of course you can't just go to the movies. That would be way too easy for you. And, of course, you definitely want to get to know Brandon better. It would just be so tragic if you didn't. _

"Oh, yes, of course. I'd love to get to know Brandon better," she said sarcastically.

Elliot looked at her and smiled a little bit. "Come on, Olivia, it's just tonight. Please get over what happened last time. I think you got the wrong idea, and he just really liked you and you didn't know how to handle it. He'll stop now, since he knows that you're too sensitive," he said.

Olivia glared at him. "I'm not sensitive."

He nodded and opened his mouth but shut it again. "I...I know that. I was joking. Calm down."

She laughed a little. "That's what I thought."

She still wasn't in a great mood since she was having to see Brandon, but whatever. She wasn't about to be too bitchy to Elliot. He didn't even understand anyway.

When they got to the ice cream parlor near Washington Square, Olivia immediately spotted the handsome but enstranged Brandon standing in a short line, looking almost exactly as he had the day before, other than a different colored shirt. Elliot put a hand on his shoulder.

"Brandon. Hey, man," he said.

Brandon turned around. "Hey, Elliot! Hey, Olivia," he said.

Olivia smiled, but it was a weak smile. What was she so nervous about? He hadn't been _that_ mean to her. He hadn't done anything _that_ bad. He'd just made fun of the fact that she was forty-seven and single, and been really rude. Yes, so he'd definitely seemed a little creepy and too good to be true, but she knew she should give him another chance. Maybe he wasn't so bad. She did have a gut feeling that he was trouble, but how could she know that from just a single rude remark? She had to at least consider him again, at least be nice to him tonight and see if he was really as creepy as her first impression of him was.

Once they'd gotten their ice cream and sat down, Olivia tried to act comfortable, but things were really still tense.

"So, Elliot said that you write the basic stuff for websites," she said, trying to start some conversation. They'd probably sat at the table for about ten minutes now, not saying a word.

"Yes, I write the things that go on the layouts, things like that. When I was younger, I tried to become a fictional writer, but I realized that my writing style was really more that of a professional writer. I understood that I wasn't really very creative, but I was a good writer because I had a very high vocabulary and I was great in English. So I decided to try to do some kind of professional writing, business writing. At first, I tried to be a reporter, but I found that it wasn't a fun job. There were way too many other people who already had the same stories as me and it got boring and it was too competitive to get a lot of success in. So that's how I got into website writing, and it's working out great," he explained.

Olivia nodded and gave him the best smile she could manage. She really needed to at least try to be nice to him.

"Oh, that's great. So, if you don't mind my asking, do you do well?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes, I do great," he said. Then he was quiet for a second. "Well, actually, I'm not going to lie to you. I probably would do really great if I lived somewhere other than New York City, you know? So I mean, I guess I don't do great. I do okay. I bring in enough income to have a decent apartment in Manhattan and have my bills and taxes paid and still have a bit of money leftover. But no, I guess I don't do just really magnificent because New York is so expensive," he explained.

"Yeah, I understand," she said.

"Really, I think I just got lucky. Usually people with my job just kind of make average income. But I was lucky enough to have a few bands have me make the layout writing for their sites. Like, one guy from this new band that's just starting to get popular asked me to write for his site and so now I have a bunch of other people that are sort of famous emailing me and asking me to write for their websites and make the labels for the T-shirts they're selling and things like that. So I guess I got lucky," he said.

Olivia nodded. "That's great."

Okay, Brandon wasn't seeming so bad right now. But then again, Olivia hadn't been alone with him yet. He had seemed nice yesterday until Elliot had gone to the restroom. So Olivia couldn't be sure at this point if he was a creep or not. She was kind of hoping that Elliot would leave just so that she could see if Brandon would try anything.

A few minutes later, Elliot coincidentally fulfilled her wish by getting up and saying, "I've got to go get some more peanuts for my ice cream. It's bland."

When he was gone, Brandon was quiet for a minute, and so was Olivia. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and gave her an apologetic look.

"Listen, about yesterday...I know you left because I creeped you out. I'm sorry about that. I just think you're very beautiful, and I wanted to at least have a shot at dating you. The reason I involved Elliot is that I just really thought that maybe you would reconsider if I pointed out that he probably would want you to give me a chance. I wanted to maybe date you just once at least, because I thought that maybe it would be nice to go out with one of Elliot's friends, because I'm such good friends with him," he said.

Olivia tried to accept his apology. She told him that she understood and that it was all right, but she still felt weird around him, and he still felt strange. She just couldn't get over the tone of his voice yesterday, the look in his eyes, no matter what he said.

After they'd left the ice cream parlor, they went for a long walk in Washington Square Park, and then made their way back to the parlor to pick up Elliot's car. Elliot climbed in the car and Olivia started towards it, but Brandon gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, uh..."

Olivia stared at him expectantly.

"I don't suppose you'd consider going out with me alone tomorrow? Please? I'd like to make up for my rudeness yesterday," he said. "I seriously just want a chance, Olivia. Just one night, give me a shot," he urged.

Olivia didn't know what to say. Did she want to go out with him? _Hell-to-the-no_. But maybe she should give him a chance, like he'd said. Elliot would surely appreciate it, and Olivia knew that he'd start hanging out with Brandon a lot more now that he was in New York. That meant that Olivia would have to learn how to tolerate him, and what better a way to get on good terms with him than go out on a date with him?

"All right," she finally agreed.

"Great. Could you type your number in?" he asked, handing her his iPhone.

She nodded and typed in her number, hoping she wouldn't regret it. Then she left him and climbed into the passenger seat of Elliot's car, and they immediately started off.

"What was taking so long?" he asked, not with impatience but with curiousity.

She looked at him. "He asked me out again."

He looked at her. "Tell me you said yes. Or you at least put him down lightly."

Olivia nodded. "I said yes."

He looked at her. To be honest with himself, he didn't necessarily like that she was going to go on a date with Brandon, because he was...well, he was jealous. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but yes, he was very jealous. He just also knew that he couldn't be with Olivia, and it was out of the question, so she might as well date his best friend. Well, Brandon hadn't been his best friend in high school, but he was now that they'd reunited thirty years later. It was important that Olivia got along with him.

"I'm surprised," Elliot said.

"Yeah, you probably should be. It's _one_ date. It's only for you," she admitted.

He looked at her. "Thanks for that."

She nodded and tried to smile at him. She hoped that this date didn't go _too_ bad.

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><p><strong>AN: Review for me! I will try to update sooner since I am off for spring break right now!<strong>


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